AltWeeklies Wire
Gas, Oil or Hot Air?new

What is it about the term "fossil fuels" that we don't seem to understand?
Urban Tulsa Weekly |
Arnold Hamilton |
02-07-2012 |
Energy
Coal Train: Coming to Tracks Near Younew

With three proposed coal export terminals, Oregon is facing the prospect of over one mile long open-topped coal trains spewing diesel fumes and coal dust through its towns and into its forests, rivers and lakes. Will Oregon be the gateway for the fossil fuel exports Big Coal is looking for?
Eugene Weekly |
Camilla Mortensen |
01-20-2012 |
Environment
Fighting Wind, Stillnew

Roger Whitten, a Palouse resident, is still fighting wind power in his back yard, despite construction plans and an agreement with the region’s largest utility company.
The Inlander |
Heidi Groover |
08-19-2011 |
Environment
Pimpin' Wyoming: State Resources For Salenew

Western states have outstripped their resources, growing at a reckless pace. They see Wyoming, a sparsely populated state with all its riches, and they want some.
Planet Jackson Hole |
Jake Nichols |
10-22-2010 |
Economy
Drill Downnew

Love it or hate it, the oil and gas industry is as much a part of modern New Mexico as red and green chile.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Laura Paskus |
10-07-2010 |
Economy
The Mysterious Death of a Done Nuclear Dealnew
If CPS Energy, San Antonio’s City-owned utility, took a solitary human form, it would be a headless corpse bouncing gently under a white hospital sheet on its way to the morgue.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
01-06-2010 |
Environment
Biodiesel Blows Up, but Not in a Good Waynew
Interest in biofuels has sank, a drag for one Seattle start-up called Imperium Renewables, which built a gigantic biofuel-production plant in Grays Harbor County. Earlier this year, the company laid off most of its staff at the plant... and on Wed., Dec. 2, there was a massive explosion there.
Seattle Weekly |
Mark D. Fefer |
12-14-2009 |
Environment
Oregon's Filthy Secret: It is Fueled by 40 Percent Dirty Coalnew
While Portland's high-profile green innovations are helping the city's image become synonymous with sustainability (see: condo developers topping their downtown towers with wind turbines) the city runs on a dirty secret. Forty percent of Portland's energy comes from a very un-green source.
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
10-29-2009 |
Environment
Tides and Waves Could Be a Key Source of Power for British Columbianew
As the climate-change crisis continues to grow, the search for alternative sources of energy is intensifying. If proponents of ocean energy have their way, B.C.'s coastal waters will become a key power source for the province.
The Georgia Straight |
Dawn Paley |
09-22-2009 |
Environment
Nukes Mean Mines: Are We Digging a New Toxic Legacy Before the Last One's Filled In?new

The risks involved in uranium mining and processing should be a starting point for any debate about the promise and peril of nuclear power. The aftermath of our last uranium boom still echoes loudly in South Texas.
San Antonio Current |
Greg Harman |
09-17-2009 |
Environment
Recession and Climate Politics Combine to Shake Up the Pro-Nuclear Narrativenew
This is despite the high-profile support of old-school techno-fix enviros and shocking pro-nukers, and despite industry hopefuls who thought the atomic option was poised to become the winner of the low-carbon sweepstakes, an idea dissed by most climate campaigners.
NOW Magazine |
Alice Klein |
07-13-2009 |
Environment
How the Energy Industry is Moving Out of the Dark Agesnew
The energy revolution doesn't hinge on technological discovery. Indeed, the vast majority of technology it will draw on has existed for years, if not decades. The energy revolution is about something much more difficult to change: our own human behavior.
Metro Spirit |
Matt Spaur |
06-17-2009 |
Environment
Oregonians Want Green Energy at Any Pricenew

There are a variety of explanations for the lack of outcry about Oregon's subsidies for wind farms. But perhaps most important, the idea of subsidizing renewable energy has the strong support of Gov. Ted Kulongoski, other political leaders and -- if polls are correct -- a large portion of Oregonians.
Willamette Week |
Nigel Jaquiss |
03-11-2009 |
Environment
Corn Ethanol is Fueling Controversy ... Except Among Democratsnew
Mounting opposition to corn ethanol, and the spreading global food crisis, pose a serious question for President Barack Obama and Democratic leaders in Washington: Will they attempt to slow or reverse the ethanol mandates?
The Texas Observer |
Robert Bryce |
02-18-2009 |
Environment
'Clean Coal' Isn't Clean, But Is It Our Best Hope Against Climate Change?new
"Clean coal" is a contradiction in terms: Mining coal and burning it remain a dirty business. But is even cleaner coal a real, if distant, promise ... or merely a dangerous distraction?
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Bill O'Driscoll |
02-02-2009 |
Environment